Rumblings of a marketing man on tour…

So, I get to SG, check my bag in, and scoot off over to the East Coast to meet a colleague for a quick work meeting and some rather lovely luncheon. We chat and chat and chat, nip to the mall to grab some bits, and before I know it, 8pm has arrived and it’s time for me to check in for my flight back to London town…

A rather lovely luncheon, and another friendship sealed.

Contrary to popular belief, you can’t get everything in the world at Changi airport. Yes, it’s got great facilities and is super efficient. But the book stocks are fairly limited. After my Friday experiences, another good doctor friend recommended Bizot’s “The Gate” as my next read.

I thought I’d get it here, more fool me. I’ll just have to make do with a stack of champers, rather large g&t’s and some movie time as the BA Club Crew ship me back to Londinium…

I’ve had a great time out here and can’t believe my daily Asia-tastic updates have drawn to a close. I’ve learnt a great deal, worked with some talented people, travelled to some amazing places, seen some breathtaking sights, eaten delectable food, and met some truly wonderful characters along the way. Travels. Don’t you just love them!? 

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it. But fear not, October 1st sees me on a cheeky weeks holiday before leg two of the tour kicks off in Oz. I’m ready for Sydney in summer and I hope they are ready for me. So, tie those Kangaroo’s down.

And someone let the boys know I’m coming?

Iain is ready for boarding. Normal service will resume in October when the tour kicks off once more…

Today is the day after Singapore’s birthday.

I don’t know if the country woke up to as big a hangover as I did, but a vigorous workout with an Aussie rugby player helped somewhat, after a little wander round the marina (nice, but plastic). Thing that really impressed me, everything open and still working…

A huge lunch later, more wander. And I wandered down Haji lane. I’d heard big boss man Asia (you know, the one you only get to if you kill little boss men to get to big master boss), mention it to a couple of colleagues.

It’s on top of Arab street, but a world away… A few things I spotted there:

• an out and proud tranny (gay still illegal in Singapore remember, although largely ignored / tolerated)
• loads of artists working on the street
• boutiques with custom made clobber
• some really hot arty boho types; creatives in motion
• graffiti!

Grafitti in Singapore...

I quite like graffiti. Not the crap where people use their tags, or draw big cocks on. That’s what blackboards are for!?

Can be a real creative outlet, often for those that have nowhere else to create.

I think I’ll be spending me a bit more time in Haji lane…

• Singaporeans put on a kick arse party for their birthday (country was 44 today I think)
• Henry (best copywriter in Asia), not only has a lovely flat, a lovely husband, lovely cats (hope I got the order of cats / husband right), and an amazing talent, she made me feel like 6 years of little contact hadn’t existed
• Henry cooks amazingly well
• The hawkers by her pad are AMAZING
• Ganesha (who I pray to) can’t solve my problems, only I can…

Ganesha...

And this being one of my less eventful days in the ‘pore…

Iain hopes to work with the brillianly breasted one again soon…

Can save me anytime...

Keep being followed by a Pixie. Most disturbing…

First day in the office for my little stint over here. Typical, feel like shit, but not because I went out to play last night.

Could be worse. It’s still sunny and 32 degrees. Office is in a massive art decco building across the road from the Raffles Medical Centre. Locals call it the Gotham City building, but I kinda think it feels like the one from The New Adventures of Superman if anyone remembers that?

The one that made Dean Cain a sex symbol for 5 mins, and launched Teri ‘Desperate Housewives’ Hatcher.

Dean Cain. Mmmmmmmm.

Iain is looking forward to bed. Sadly not with Dean Cain…

Much better than tha cabbys this lot...

First experience of Singapore’s boys in blue was (on the whole), positive. A colleague had his i-phone swiped (or lost in cab, not quite sure), last night so it was off down the cop shop for a quick insurance check.

Something tells me given that 95% of his life was run / captured on that lovely little i-phone, he wasn’t careless with it. It was swiped.

Little ironic, he comes all the way from Jo’burgh in South Africa (and I resisted the diplomatic immunity urges I was having), and has his phone nicked in Singapore, where there are such low crime rates…

The station was very office block like, but the signs outside were a bit scary. Men with machine guns pointing at a person on their knees. Still, effortless, orderly, polite.

We really do need to get our service industries over here (or Thailand),  to see how it’s done!

Iain is going to bed early, with the vain hope he’ll wake up with no toxins left in his system tomorrow morning….

Fine line between confidence, and arrogance....

My ex use to tell me I was an arrogant shit. I knew best. Always. I always disagreed with him (mainly because I knew best?!), and it caused some quite heated mass debates.

We all know I love a mass-debate…

Well, today, I have been truly humbled. And believe me, that is not something that happens too often… An ad geek I may be, but a tourism amateur, I truly am. I work with some magnificent talent, who happen to be based overseas.

Today has been a real eye opener as to how brilliant most of my colleagues are, and how much I can learn from them (not the other way about). And don’t get me started on the youngest guy in the room. Fucking bright, sharp, and wise beyond his years. Reminds me of me ten years ago, but irritatingly a lot better looking.

Still, like the Murphys, I’m not bitter… He’ll have a bright future. Like the one I am waking up into.

Oh, and for anyone that read yesterdays blog i WILL make dinner tonight. Meeting colleagues in the hotel lobby to make sure I get there. Dinner in some swanky Hyatt restaurant that offers proper local fare.

Bring it on. So long as there is a vat of wine (or gin) to go with it….

Iain is going to try and not drink too much more wine over dinner, otherwise tomorrow……..

Is age really just a number?

Just to be clear…

Jetslag is NOT referring to my antics with the crew (and Dave, who has text by the way), it’s me today. Very little sleep last night, packed calendar today, but like a trooper, I soldiered on. And no Starbucks to assist…

It is gutting though, why 3 days in I have jetlag I have no idea. I digress…

The big conference kicked off today. Went really well, and my two sessions (how to write a best in class marketing brief and how to review creative work), were really warmly received.

Again, I thank Dr. Harrison for his words of inspiration, and years of training. I never realised how fortunate I was to be a part of the team that made magic happen…

I am a total ad geek,  for which I make no apologies. It was great to see people share that passion today, and engage with ads both good and bad. But, you have to take it all with a pinch of salt.

I am telling the group one minute they need at least a week to write a brief, and I find myself in a break-out group an hour later with twenty minutes to crack a tiny little marketing problem. Effectively, generating a little global marketing strategy. No biggy…

Fun and games indeed.

Very flattering that colleagues see me as one of the men for the job, just a little more time would be nice. Especially as I was on the sleepy side. At my age, I need all the beauty sleep (or buckets of olay) I can get to retain that youthful fresh face…

So, one quick question before I sod off out to dinner (One Rochester place tonight in the Hyatt hotel, meant to be one of Singapore’s coolest eateries).

It’s about sex (my question, not dinner).

My question is this. How much older / younger than your own age would you go for a night of passion? Not long term, but just a roll in the hay…

You should find the post comment button above the picture at the top of this post (keep them clean mind, I don’t want arrested by the local authorities!).

Sex and race are a big thinking point for me over here. Alittle audience research might just help shape my thinking before I start jump headlong into the sexual politics minefield…

Anyway, sorry for the braindump. I’m off to eat, drink and sleep my way into oblivion before running tomorrow’s masterclass in somethingng or other…

Iain is jetslagged on day four, but ready for tonight’s banquet…

My order: venti skinny wet latte, extra hot with an extra shot. GOT THAT?

Whenever the family went on holiday as a kid, my Father (tosser), always seemed to bump into someone he knew. As a youngstrel, I was in awe at this.

Could the world really be that small? Did Scottish people only go to one place on holiday?

Did they hold a meeting and arrange their dates so they were all there at the same time?

Was it just a big fat coincidence?

Anyway, today I feel a bit dirty. I did something bad. No, I haven’t seen Dave again (yet), but I did go to Starbucks to work…

Now I have a swish white Samsung netbook (white, N110,  sexy as), I don’t mind getting it out (so to speak) in coffee shops. So, I’m hammering out my presentation for tomorrow (largely inspired by the good Dr. Harrison), and I look up. And there she was.

Mrs. Jones.

No, not she of the song of the same name. Polly Jones, a former colleague from the glory days at Harrison Troughton Wunderman. Her brother works in Singapore (presumably in the Shell building where  my ‘bux was located), and she popped out avec the little ones to visit him.

Although deeply shamed that I didn’t go local for today’s coffee, I am somewhat pleased I bumped into a friendly face.

Good to see you Polly!

Iain is on day three. And was pleased the barista didn’t know what a wet one was (nowt pervy, tis a latte with no foam)…

Forget Paris Hilton, this is my NBF...

Day two, and already I find myself in a world of pain…

So, last night, I end up bumping into a rather nice Welshman and his colleagues in SG’s ChinaTown. (SG, get me like a local after a day!).

They all worked in ‘aviation’.

It didn’t take much intelligence (given the amount of bleach, tan, and two for one cocktails being knocked back), to work out that their particular branch of aviation is usually described by us normal punters, as crew.

Or trolley dolly’s if you are being mean…

I used to be somewhat boastful about my ability to drink. But I have nothing on this lot.

There must be something about the cabin pressure that gives them the ability to drink like fish…

After a massive pub crawl, today I spend broken and most likely in bed. I may venture to the rooftop pool later when / if I feel up to it.

A nice relaxing (broken) Sunday, before all the work I have to do tomorrow…

Day two of Iain on tour sees him broken, shattered in tiny gin shaped pieces on the floor. He does however, have a new-found respect for the Welsh….

Wouldn't wash on the London Underground...

Premium economy? 12 hour flight? I wasn’t amused, but thankfully slept for most of it.

Roberta (my delightful Scottish hostess) kept me furnished with at least 5 or 6 large G&T’s. Got to the stage where I’d buzz (was a night flight), and she wouldn’t even come see what I wanted.

She just brought gin. What a legend. British Airways would do well to promote her…

Got in about 5.30pm, unpacked, ate, and passed out with a gin headache. Oops…

Woke at 3am for the obligatory hour of hoping I’d sleep before dawn, then woke again at 10am just in time for breakfast. Which was immense, the Gallery hotel is way better than the Tripadvisor reviews I read…

Went for a mooch down Orchard Road, shopping, coffee, people watching, luncheon and back to the hotel for some gym time, a disco nap, a little nibble before going out disco dancing tonight. (I hear there are some suitably racous places to get down in ChinaTown).

So what have I learned today?

• Singapore is still clean. Cleaner than when I was here last if that’s humanly possible!
• Manchester United seem to be the dominant British brand over here. I lost count after seeing about 843 tops…
• If it weren’t for aircon, I’d have died around 10.45am
• There are thousands of coffee shops that can help feed my habit
• I am irresistible*

Time to hit the gym. I will get that bikini body for summer (2012 at this rate, but the heat does suppress the appetite!).

Day one of Iain on his tours. *And we’ll see if that’s true tonight!